UN Chief Says Climate Is Now A Global Health Threat

Buzzline

UN climate chief Simon Stiell says the climate crisis is now a global health crisis of pandemic proportions as COP31 opens in Antalya, Türkiye, Euronews reports. The Lancet Countdown 2026 links fossil fuels and climate change to an estimated 3.3 million deaths a year from outdoor air pollution and extreme heat. The talks will focus on the warning, the figures and health risks linked to climate change.  Disclosure: This video contains stock footage and content created or enhanced using AI-assisted tools.

Transcript

00:00The UN's climate chief is calling climate change a health crisis of pandemic proportions.

00:05Simon Steele, head of UN climate change, made the warning as COP31 began in Antalya,

00:11Turkey. The talks run from November 9 to 20. He said the climate crisis is now a global health

00:16crisis of pandemic proportions. The Lancet countdown 2026 links burning fossil fuels

00:23and human-caused climate change to an estimated 3.3 million deaths a year. Those come from outdoor

00:29air pollution and extreme heat. A World Meteorological Organization report published

00:34November 9 says the past 12 years were the warmest on record. The last four, including 2026, rank as

00:42the four warmest. Health effects include heat-related illness, wildfire smoke, poor air quality,

00:48malnutrition, and injuries. They also include changing risks from waterborne and vector-borne

00:53diseases such as cholera, malaria, and dengue. Steele said climate risk finds every vulnerability

00:59in a health system and widens it. He added that no health system can be made resilient

01:04to an endlessly warming world. Health is set to be a central issue at this COP.

01:09Disclosure. This video contains stock footage and content created or enhanced using AI-assisted

01:14tools.

Category

Transcript

Comments

Recommended